gratitude makes what you have more than enough

Finishing Well

Here’s another devotional written by my wonderful friend, Patricia Knight. I know you’ll appreciate this one as much as I do!

FINISHING WELL

By Patricia Knight

…

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” —2 Corinthians 12:9, NAS

At the end of his life and his remarkable career, the apostle Paul turned his responsibilities over to Timothy, his friend and co-worker for Christ. Paul expressed self-satisfaction with serving God and promoting His Gospel; he had totally depended on his Lord’s leadership and power. He carried God’s love throughout most parts of the known world, on four missionary journeys. Paul’s ministry work for His Lord was impeccable.

After being stripped and beaten, then thrown in a dark, dank jail where his feet were secured in stocks as an added measure of security, Paul gave thanks and sang hymns. From inside another jail he wrote letters to encourage fellow Christians, the same Gospel letters that minister to us today in God’s Word.

Paul asked God repeatedly to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” a particularly burdensome physical problem. Instead of curing Paul, God answered that He would convert Paul’s weakness to His sovereign strength. We do not know to what extent Paul’s physical problem interfered with his endurance, but we are aware that Paul remained steadfast in his faith and service to His Lord, daily buoyed and empowered by God’s strength. Paul was determined to boast about his own weaknesses so that Christ’s power could be glorified in his life. Today, God is faithful to convert our weakness into His strength, just as He did for Paul centuries ago.

Humble obedience is God’s intent for us. Whatever our plight in this life, we are commanded to enthusiastically accomplish God’s work. Using our unique abilities, God delights in custom designing a personal service plan for everyone who loves Him.

“Few Christians finish well” is a haunting prediction. Let us not allow that warning to come to fruition in our lives. By maintaining tenacity of faith and service to God throughout our lives, in the end, like Paul, we can claim,“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept thefaith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Though Paul readily identified God as his Source of strength, he also persevered during hardship, allowing God’s power to burst through his circumstances.

Our gift of eternal life is secured by grace, not by works. As a result, our good deeds for God and our fellow men spill over as a natural outpouring of our faith. “Faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). Paul knew that truth and so do we. Why not practice with discipline that which we know to be true, and finish our life well, with a remarkable career for Christ?

Very nice, thanks for this. Fighting the good fight and running our race for the Lord comes naturally when we are living close to Jesus. I believe that when we meet Him face to face we will all humbly fall at His feet and wish we had done more; just because of the overwhelming gratitude we will experience at being in His presence. I have lived some years involved in the things of this world, and I have come to now strive to live close to Jesus. I must say that I like living close to Jesus better, and I regret very much the lost time not spent glorifying Him. Again, thanks for sharing this.

I will finish well, not because of me and my efforts but because my incredibly amazing God has a tight hold of me. He has promised to continue His work in me and bring it to completion, and I praise God for the REALITY of the experience of His constant guidance and correction.

I’ve posted it before, but missionary Jim Elliot’s words, written a short time before he was killed by Auca Indians is a great motto to adopt ~
“So live, that when you come to die, you have nothing left to do, but die”

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Who am I?

I'm a lover and follower of Jesus Christ and live in northern Arizona with my husband, Rick. I am happy to say that Rick and I are at the bottom corners of a triangle where Jesus sits at the top corner.

Contributing Writer: Patricia Knight

Patricia Knight is the author of REJOICE! and PURE JOY, two books filled with joyful devotionals. She maintains a ministry of handwritten encouraging notes for those who are hurting, and is also an avid gardener.